Apple pie wine

[brewgirl21]

I have been on these forums before and have hands some successful grape wine made the easy way, grape juice sugar and yeast normally in gallon batches well this time I decided to step it up into 5 gallon batches and make apple pie wine first I had to cut a hole in the lid to make my airlock fit I added 4 gallons of juice 9 or so cups of sugar, and I made a yeast starter and added thy with 2 other packs of yeast I topped it off and add shook abit to get it going I added my air lock and let go over night woke up and around 12:30 I noticed it wasn't burping at all,so I took some leftover juice and made another starter with maybe 2 tsp of yeast I added that and the stuff started to fizz like crazy I put the air lock on and it burped like shown in the video for 2 mins then quit you can see it is working good like the video shows but it just won't burp! Please help

http://s1278.photobucket.com/user/g...F-4D72-A1D8-3D5349FD26D1_zps6671c9ee.mp4.html

http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/y504/gtpaintballgirl20/Mobile Uploads/image_zps98a35277.jpg

 

[jensmith]

I have been on these forums before and have hands some successful grape wine made the easy way, grape juice sugar and yeast normally in gallon batches well this time I decided to step it up into 5 gallon batches and make apple pie wine first I had to cut a hole in the lid to make my airlock fit I added 4 gallons of juice 9 or so cups of sugar, and I made a yeast starter and added thy with 2 other packs of yeast I topped it off and add shook abit to get it going I added my air lock and let go over night woke up and around 12:30 I noticed it wasn't burping at all,so I took some leftover juice and made another starter with maybe 2 tsp of yeast I added that and the stuff started to fizz like crazy I put the air lock on and it burped like shown in the video for 2 mins then quit you can see it is working good like the video shows but it just won't burp! Please help

http://s1278.photobucket.com/user/gtpaintballgirl20/media/Mobile%20Uploads/trim7C56EC55-B2BF-4D72-A1D8-3D5349FD26D1_zps6671c9ee.mp4.html

http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/y504/gtpaintballgirl20/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps98a35277.jpg

Is the juice/must still making all those tiny bubbles? If it is then it is fermenting just fine. You probely have an airlock issue. For the first 3-7 days there is no need to airlock it anyway. The yeast needs air to work. It can work under airlock, it will just be happyer with a cloth cover for now.
That small universial bung has given me issues. It keeps poping up. If there is even a hint of moisture on the carboy neck or bung it slips up. Push down on it and hold it in tight for a min to see if it starts bubbeling. If it starts bubbeling find a way to keep that sluppery bung in place. I have resorted to duck tape at times..... The other thing to check is the airlock itself. Pull it out. Run your fingers around the bace. Most have a ridge of plastic leftover from being made. That needs to be sliced off. It keeps a chanel of air open threw the bung.
You have plenty of yeast. Do not add more! You can add yeast nutriants however. If you do not have those maybe a can of concentrate 100%white grape juice will help. Not the same thing at all, but grapes are yeasties favaorite food. It will bost your abv a little seing as its mostly fruit suger. It will not affect the flavor in a five gal batch.
It is possible that with as much yeast you used they have eaten all the avalible suger already. Buying and using a hydrometer would be very helpfull. If you don't have one take a sip. Any sweetness left? If it still taste like juice then it is not done. If it taste nasty(dry) then the yeast has eaten all the suger and it is done with the bubbeling and just needs to sit for a month.

 

[brewgirl21]

If I kind of push down on the green part it starts to burp the problem is my bung was too small to just fit in the bottle so I had to add the cap back on and cut it to size and just force the bung in but yes it still has those tiny bubbles

 

[jensmith]

If I kind of push down on the green part it starts to burp the problem is my bung was too small to just fit in the bottle so I had to add the cap back on and cut it to size and just force the bung in but yes it still has those tiny bubbles

Short term soulotion, ignore it, it is working just fine. When the little bubbles stop duck tape the green cap and whatever else is loose untill you do get an air tight seal. Drink it as soon as it gets tasty.
Long term soulion. Buy a BetterBottle with the correct sized bung. Use this set up for years with no issues.
The water bottle you are using is not safe for long term use. Air passes threw the plastic oxidising your wine. Some plastics leach into the wine as it ages as well. It is hard to get an airtight seal with out the correct bung. It is possible to order a bigger bung that will fit. Short term these water bottles are fine and cost less then twenty bucks. BetterBotttles cost $20-29 and are made for wine making. Safe solid plastic type bottles that are easy to clean and protect your wine. They will keep your wine for years. No hurry up and drink it before it spoils.

 

[brewgirl21]

Im gonna start using glass gallon jugs

 

[zachajaweeeah]

You DEF have enough yeast. One pack wouldve been plenty. A single packet of yeast is enough for somewhere around 10 gallons. Just stick with the one pack. Safe AND cost effective.

 

[jensmith]

Im gonna start using glass gallon jugs

Those work good!! Fun to buy them full of cheep wine, drink them dry (or use for top off wine) and them use them to make good wine!

 

[oogaboogachiefwalkingdeer]

I doubt that air actually penetrates thru the plastic. Most of the juices used are in a plastic jug. Seems if air would penetrate the jugs they would be dripping juice from them. Use the plastic and don't worry about it. I never had a problem with them. Big glass carboys are heavy and dangerous as well.

 

[brewgirl21]

It has now stopped fizzing/working in the jug does this mean it's done

 

[jensmith]

I doubt that air actually penetrates thru the plastic. Most of the juices used are in a plastic jug. Seems if air would penetrate the jugs they would be dripping juice from them. Use the plastic and don't worry about it. I never had a problem with them. Big glass carboys are heavy and dangerous as well.

Air can go where liquid can not.

 

[jensmith]

It has now stopped fizzing/working in the jug does this mean it's done

No.

Drinkable maybe. Safe to bottle deffinetly not!

 

[Yooper]

I doubt that air actually penetrates thru the plastic. Most of the juices used are in a plastic jug. Seems if air would penetrate the jugs they would be dripping juice from them. Use the plastic and don't worry about it. I never had a problem with them. Big glass carboys are heavy and dangerous as well.

No, plastic is generally very oxygen permeable. You just don't worry about it with juice, as it won't hurt it. But it does hurt wine, unfortunately.

I recently read a study that even some of those rubber bungs aren't good at keeping out o2, and that some o2 comes in through the water in the airlock itself through the process of diffusion. Not much, but some. Most thin plastic jugs are oxygen permeable to a pretty great degree. HDPE is also oxygen permeable even though it's very thick. Ideally, PET would be used if plastic must be used for aging wine but even that is not as good as glass.

That said, I do use a few "better bottle" carboys for relatively short term aging, as it's hard for me to lift a 6 gallon glass carboy full of wine.